Drabble Collection
by Blossomwitch
Summary: Just what it sounds like, a collection of my YYH drabbles. Most but not all of these are yaoi, and most are rated K or K plus.
1. Chapter 1

_Explanation_

It seems a little silly to create a whole story file just for a drabble, and even sillier to do it repeatedly. So since I keep coming up with YYH drabbles, I thought I'd create one file for them. Most of these are going to be yaoi, since that's my cup of tea. I'll give individual ratings with each chapter.

And now, onto the drabbles.


	2. Something Else

_Something Else  
Rated K+ _

Strong hands touched his waist. The touch was familiar. "No," Kurama said quietly.

The other voice was softer than usual. "Why not?"

Again, they were here--alone, at night, somehow drawn to the same place. Drawn to each other. "Because two friends who spend one night together out of loneliness are just that: two friends. But two nights?" Kurama smiled bitterly. "It becomes something else."

Quiet rain, and silence--but neither leaves. And after a moment, the hands return to his waist, and a kiss is pressed to his cheek. Calmly, the other says, "Then let it be something else."

_A/N: I deliberately left the other person ambiguous in this because I was thinking of a somewhat unconventional pairing. If you're curious as to the author's intent, let me know and I'll gladly email you what I was thinking; otherwise, feel free to insert your favorite fangirlish fantasy. ;)_


	3. Option B

Summary: Yusuke and Kuwabara decide Kurama needs a date; Kurama isamused. Double drabble, implied yaoi, rated K.

_Option B_

"You want me to..."

"Date," Yusuke repeated, unfazed, as he and Kuwabara propelled Kuramadown the street.

"See, it's like this," Kuwabara supplied; "we've been thinking, and we've realized that in all the time we've known you, you've never had a  
lover. So we're gonna hook you up."

"I think I'm grateful, but..."

"Save it," Yusuke interrupted. "But we've got one question before we start."

"Yeah, a big question."

"Do we need to conduct an exhaustive search to find someone good enough for our Kurama? Or do we just need to knock some sense into everyone's favorite three-eyed freak?"

Kurama burst out laughing. "As I was saying, I'm grateful for your help, but it's not necessary," the still chortling fox demurred.

"C'mon, Kurama. We want you to be happy."

"I am happy."

"Well then, we want you to be happier," Yusuke insisted. "And beating Hiei up would make me happy, if it's option B."

Kurama shook his head, mirth sparkling in his eyes. "Hiei's not blind," he said. "And just because he doesn't speak to you two doesn't mean  
he's mute. I assure you, I'm quite well taken care of." And still laughing, Kurama took himself off down the street.


	4. Rain

Rating: K

_Rain_

I hate rain.

That's what I tell him. I hate it when the skies open up. I hate getting caught in it. Of course I always am, and I am always drenched by the time I get to his house. He towels me off, and if it looks to rain all night I stay. I wonder what he'd do if he ever learned I could dry myself, just with a fiery thought, that I could keep the raindrops from hitting me. Wonder what he'd do if he learned that, yes, I hate rain, but I wish it rained more often.


	5. Adjective

_Rating: K  
Adjective _

"What are you two snickering about?" Keiko asked.

"We were just thinking about appropriate adjectives for Hiei," Yusuke said.

"I'm surprised you two know what adjectives are," Keiko commented. "Care to share?"

"Well," Kuwabara began, "usually when I think of Hiei I think of mean, nasty, short, etcetera. But it's different since they started dating." The three looked automatically to where their two comrades were sitting a ways off, watching Kurama easily destroy Hiei's resistance to cuddling with a pout. "And this new adjective is really appropriate since it's _Kurama_ that he's dating."

"What is it?"

Both boys declared, "Whipped."


	6. How Many Times?

_Drabble: How Many Times?  
Rating: K  
A/N: Giving credit where credit is due, this was inspired by MistressKC pointing out that Kurama's small smile when he's mistaken for Kuwabara's girlfriend in the final episode indicates that it's probably happened before... _

Kuwabara chased the inquisitive girls away, angrily. Kurama hid his smile, lest his friend think he was smiling at him. "He's a guy!" Kuwabara shouted. "He's a guy, and he's not my girlfriend, or my boyfriend, he's just a guy with delicate features alright!" The girls ran away laughing.

Kuwabara returned, smoldering, and Kurama could no longer contain his smile. "What time was that?" he asked, picking up Kuwabara's school books from where he had dropped them.

Kuwabara sighed, accepting the books from his "girlfriend." "The eighth."

"Well, cheer up; at least I'm a good catch!"


	7. Dilemma

_Dilemma_

"Hey Kurama, you're a demon."

"Well spotted," Hiei said acidically.

"Shut up shrimp," Kuwabara said angrily. "I'm not asking _you_ for help..."

"What can I help you with, Kuwabara?"

"Well, Yukina's a demon too, right? So you can help me figure out how to court Yukina!"

Yusuke choked on his sandwich. Kurama paled, looking back and forth between Kuwabara and Hiei. "Help...you court Yukina?"

"Yeah, teach me what the demon girls like and stuff." Hiei looked at Kurama, began polishing his sword, and then looked pointedly at Kurama  
again.

"Um... Kuwabara, I..."

Yusuke continued to choke on his sandwich.


	8. Cat Out of the Bag

Cat Out of the Bag  
K, K, something like that...  
_Note: This is set right after the Sensui arc, when Yusuke has recently become a demon_

"Most demons... are what?"

"Bisexual," Botan repeated, blinking at Yusuke, confused by his confusion. "Surely you noticed?"

"Well...I..."

"Hey Urameshi, does this mean you're bi now?"

"Shut up Kuwabara!"

"Goodness," Botan said, giggling. "You really thought... What have they been _telling_ you all these years?"

"What's who been telling us?"

"Well, Kurama and Hiei, for one thing..."

"Never came up."

Botan was laughing. "You mean... you thought they were_ friends_?"

Yusuke and Kuwabara stared. "They're fighting partners," Yusuke offered in a strangled voice.

"Oh, dear..." Botan said, wiping away mirthful tears. "So that's what they're calling it these days..."


	9. Three AM

_Title: Three AM  
Rating: K  
A/N: Written in response to my exhaustion on finishing "The Concept of Claiming" a few nights ago; it's ridiculous, really, that even finishing one story generates another, as opposed to a few moments of peace. So this drabble (double, I couldn't pare it down so I puffed it up) is dedicated to all authors in similar predicaments, as well as every student who's ever survived a finals week. _

It was closer to dawn than to dusk when the pencil finally stilled--when the textbook was finally closed, the notebook put away. The exhausted fox stumbled to the bed his lover had given up trying to coax him into hours ago. He slipped in carefully, mindful of the other's sleep.

But not carefully enough; it was a mere moment before a hand gently touched his forehead, smoothing away the lines of stress that engraved it; and another hand pulled the covers up to his shoulders, settling him into the bed with far more care than he had settled himself. "Sleep." But Kurama was asleep before the word was spoken.

Hiei sat, leaning lightly against the headboard, the ghost of a frown on his lips. He wished this infernal invention known as "final's week" would end; it was a calamity he did not know how to protect his lover from, and the fox seemed determined to do it alone. Unable to help, he watched over Kurama's sleep until dawn.

But when the redhead woke, Hiei was apparently asleep; and the fox slipped from the bed to begin his day with no idea how much he had been, or was, cared for.


	10. Elements

_Title: Elements (double drabble)  
Rating: K  
A/N: I don't really know what to say about this one. It could be considered ooc, but I don't care because I'm in love with it._

Kurama. Oldest and most beloved of friends, who can never be replaced. I rely on you like I rely on the earth, to hold me up. If you should ever not be there, I would without a doubt fall; but I know you will never let me.

Yusuke. Always challenging me, surprising me, causing an emotion I didn't know I possessed. Your trust, your faith in me, is like water to a man parched. If there is something I aspire to be, it is you.

Kuwabara. I pretend to dislike you, but of all our circle you alone possess a code like mine. You alone can carry us through our doubts with your sheer stubbornness, and you alone can truly make me laugh. You are no wind master, but you lift me just the same.

And that leaves fire to me. Fire to incinerate anyone who would dare touch what I have found; fire enough to even perhaps warm three other souls. I no longer seek for a place to belong. For here is fire in love with earth, air in love with water; four souls in balance if not quite in peace. You cannot seek what is already found.


	11. Forewarned

_Forewarned  
A/N: I don't recommend this method of finding out if your friends are together. Asking will usually do just fine. But if one of your friends happens to be Hiei... _

"Stay away from him."

"Huh?"

"You have a human bitch. You should stay with her. Because if you touch Kurama like that again you'll die."

"...You think I'm hitting on Kurama?" Yusuke stammered.

Hiei's tone remained mild. "I'm warning you that if you ever _do _hit on him, I won't spare you." A small, feral smile graced his lips. "I'm very territorial." The smile changed to a glare. "Understood?"

"Yeah... understood."

"Good."

When they saw Hiei leave, the others rushed out. "Well? What happened?" Botan demanded.

"He... he totally warned me off... man, Shizuru's right! They really _are _a couple!"


	12. First Time

Title: First Time  
A/N: This is pure sap. I just needed to prove to myself I could write something tonight, and this is what happened.

XXX

The first kiss was tentative, barely a kiss at all. Hiei was tensed for a bite, blood, something--but the lips on his were soft, offering just a hint of pressure, then pulling away without trying to take anything. Hiei kept his body tensed for fight or flight.

But he realized between the first and second that they were just kisses. And when he realized what he was being offered, saw Kurama's eyes and realized that it was all his if he wanted it, everything--then he grabbed Kurama's hair, and kissed him back hard, and promised silently to never let go.


	13. The Torturing Yusuke Series

The "Torturing Yusuke" Drabble Series

A/N: I've never written interconnected drabbles before, but this little series nestled into my head and I eventually capitulated. The first two are regular drabbles and the second is a double. I've been writing a lot of Yusuke/Kurama lately, and my inner die-hard HK fangirl wanted some retribution. So, without further ado...

Torturing Yusuke #1:

Yusuke hammered on the door again, aggravated. "Kurama, I know you're there. If you're trying to hide your energy you're sucking at it. So come answer the damn door already, okay?"

No answer. He sighed and leaned against the door. "Kurama! I'm not gonna go away! Come talk to me already?"

He nearly fell over when the door opened suddenly. Then nearly fell over again. Hiei was standing there, glaring at him--completely naked and making no effort to hide it. "Yusuke, you are interrupting a great deal of really good sex," Hiei informed him. "Go away." The door slammed shut.

Torturing Yusuke #2

(A message left on Urameshi Yusuke's answering machine)

"(laughter) Yusuke, it's me... I want to apologize for the rude way Hiei sent you off earlier, and let you know if you want to call me back you will no longer be interrupting a great deal of really good sex... although I'm guessing by the look Hiei's giving me that that condition's not going to last too long. (more laughter) So if you had something you needed to talk about, I'd really recommend calling soon...(muffled noises of struggle and laughter, and then the definitive click of the phone being hung up)."

Torturing Yusuke #3

"It's been three days since this started," an aggravated Yusuke stated. "Are you two done screwing yet?"

It was Kurama who answered, matching Yusuke's irritable tone with his ineffable calm--and irony. "Yusuke, we have only just begun screwing. But we _will_ pause momentarily, in case you'd like to communicate with us in some meaningful manner."

Faced with that statement--and a pair of touchy-feely demons--Yusuke flapped his jaw like a landed fish a few times. Identical evil grins were overtaking Hiei and Kurama's faces. "Thought not," Kurama said. Hiei grinned wider and tugged on his hand. "Excuse us," Kurama added through laughter. And they were off in a black blur, the fox expertly flipped into the smaller and faster apparition's arms.

Yusuke stared after them. "Three _days_..."

"Think of how many years of sexual tension they're working through," Keiko suggested. "Give them a break."

Yusuke turned to her. "I don't see anyone helping _me_ with my years of sexual tension."

"Well, you could chase them," she suggested. "But Hiei's faster than you, so you'd better give him a damn good reason to be caught." And she flounced off, leaving Yusuke again doing his best impersonation of a fish out of water.


	14. The Hunter, The Healer

_Continuing with my theme of matching drabbles... _

The Hunter

Hiei was a hunter. His very being defined it. He could track for months on the barest hint of scent, dedicated, swift, and silent. He hunted for things that had been lost to him, and he hunted for no one but himself.

It was natural that they would be drawn together. For Kurama was prey. He was soft-spoken and cautious, mysterious and beautiful, and just as swift as Hiei. Hiei's eye was caught, his attention engaged. To catch him would be worthwhile; Kurama was deserving of the hunt.

But Kurama refused to be caught. So Hiei kept on hunting him.

The Healer

Kurama was a healer. His very being defined it. He knew the healing properties of every plant known to man or demon, and could identify diseases of both the body and soul. He healed when he could, but never once did compassion outweigh reason.

It was natural that they would be drawn together. For Hiei was wounded. His scars were easily visible, physically and emotionally. Kurama was forever rebandaging his arm after battles, forever offering a warm bed and a soft voice, hoping Hiei would hear and heed him.

But Hiei refused to hear. So Kurama went on healing him.


	15. In Specific

_A/N: This is way off my usual pairings, it's even (gasp) het, but the bunny will not be denied. Rated K._

"You really should have asked Botan to dance," Shizuru told him. "Not that I don't like to, but it'd mean more to her to be asked, and those other jerks won't think to."

"You are the tallest woman in the room," Kurama replied calmly. "And with the exception of your brother I am the tallest man."

"Oh. so that's why you asked me?"

Kurama smiled disarmingly, but didn't reply.

Shizuru asked a question that had been on her mind for awhile. "Do you even like human girls, Kurama?"

"In general, or in specific?"

"In general."

"No."

"And in specific?"

"Yes."


	16. Conflict of Interest

_Conflict of Interest  
Rating: R for swearing  
A/N: Inspired by something BlueUtopiah wrote. And yes, I just updated 3 times in one day. This is what happens when I get a day off_.

Upon rejoining the rest of the group, Yusuke noticed that both Hiei and Kurama were rather flushed and disheveled, and he smirked. "Damn, Hiei, you must have been having fun."

"Why do you say that?" Hiei snapped.

"Because Kurama's got his 'fuck hair.' He always looks like that after he's been doing it."

Hiei raised both eyebrows. "How would you know?"

"Well... Hey, you were in Makai, Hiei. Kurama was free game at the time."

Hiei eyed him coldly. "Yusuke, because I like you, I'm going to give you some advice."

"What's that?"

Hiei unsheathed his katana. "Run."

Kurama sighed.


	17. Candor

_Title: Candor (200 words)  
Rating: K _

Candor was not generally valued in the relationship between Kurama and Hiei; but sometimes, one of them would run out of subtle ways to say something.

"My greatest fear is that you'll leave."

Their relationship was not often spoken of; it existed. But occasionally their minds were not in accord; and because trust was so vital between them, because they must act as partners, it had to be resolved quickly.

"And my greatest desire is that you'll come closer."

It was now Hiei's turn to speak, if he chose, to level the playing field. Fears and desires were vulnerable points; vulnerable points were weaknesses; and none of these could be revealed without the utmost trust. Hiei's voice spoke of his hesitance, but it did speak.

"My greatest fear is to get so close to you that I lose myself."

Speaking of things that were not often thought of, much less spoken of, dragged each word down, slow and heavy with meaning.

"And my greatest desire... is to get so close to you that I lose myself."

Candor was not generally valued in the relationship between Kurama and Hiei; and it left a silence after it that was impossible to fill.


	18. Puppy LOve

_Title: Puppy Love (100 words)  
Rating: K  
A/N: Another exercise in dialogue... I just couldn't help this._

"Hiei, don't!"

"What the _hell_ is that?!"

"It's just a puppy, Hiei. Please don't attack it."

"It's a what?"

"A puppy. It's Shuiichi-kun's pet."

"... Do you mean to say that thing is here on purpose? That it's going to be _staying_ here?"

"Hiei, he's just a harmless puppy... look at him, he likes you, he's wagging his little tail..."

"Do _not_ attempt to make me like that thing, fox."

"Fine, you don't have to like him. But you don't have to be afraid of him, either."

"I'm not afraid."

"Really... Then would you mind coming down from the ceiling?"


	19. First Words

_A/N: This was inspired by a scene in the latest chapter in Kyohana's story "What Price Love?" I couldn't resist once I got the image. You can read this as mpreg, or Hiei merely having been around, or anything in between that you want to. :)_

First Words

"Has he said anything yet?" Yusuke asked, dangling a toy in front of a baby. The baby looked singularly unimpressed.

"No," Kurama replied. "He's communicating by pointing just fine, but so far he seems to find speaking beneath him."

"He's got quite an attitude, doesn't he?" Yusuke said fondly, watching the child glare at him. "He's certainly not interested in the toy."

The child looked at Yusuke, and clearly said, "Hn."

Yusuke froze. For a moment, Kurama's shocked face said he was seriously considering killing Hiei--but then his gaze crossed Yusuke's accidentally, and both men broke down into helpless laughter.


	20. Seeing

Seeing  
_100 words, rated K_

"Your eyes are green now."

"Yes."

Hands pass over his closed eyes, the thumbs brushing lightly against the lashes. He tries not to flinch.

"They're larger, too. But--" Palms trace the line of his jawbone. "Your face is not as long."

"You remember well."

"And your hair--" Fingers wind gently through it. "It's damaged."

"So I've been told."

"And red?"

"Extremely."

The hands release his hair and move curiously--gently touching his collarbone, testing the width of his shoulders. They slide down his arms to find his hands, and touch them, tracing the lines on his palms, before squeezing lightly. "These are the same."

"Almost."

"Yes, almost." The hands hold his for a moment, hesitating. One hand lets go and presses tentatively against the other's abdomen, feeling his breathing. No rebuff is made; encouraged, the other hand joins its partner, and they slide down to his hipbones. Then, the rebuke comes. "Yomi--"

"Please, Kurama." Not allowing him to speak. "Everyone knows what you are like now. I remember everything about you, but I can't--please, let me see you, just this once."

Silence. No further rebuke. Hesitantly, the hands resume their exploration. "…Your waist is narrower."

"You do remember everything."


	21. Excess of Passion

Double Drabble: Excess of Passion 

"So, what are you in the shithouse for?"

"Does it really matter?"

Hiei looked extremely uncomfortable--something that did not deter Yusuke in the slightest. "If you're gonna ask me to help you get out of it, then yeah, it does."

Hiei continued to look uncomfortable for a few moments, and Yusuke continued to enjoy it. Finally, Hiei muttered, "The haircut."

"Yeah?"

"I may have--been responsible for it."

Kurama had shocked everybody by showing up to a gathering two days ago with hair cut conservatively short. His explanation had been that it had gotten burned and he'd had to cut it, and as he was clearly disgruntled over the subject no one had asked further. Now, Yusuke gave Hiei a Look. "Don't tell me that you set his hair on fire?!"

"I thought you wanted me to tell you what happened."

"How in hell did you set his hair on fire! Were you fighting?"

"No! He can guard that bloody hair in battle." Hiei looked even more disgruntled than Kurama.

"So what happened?"

Hiei shrugged irritably, rotating his shoulders. "I hadn't--when we--well, I hadn't done that before. How was I supposed to know that the damn bed would catch on fire?"


	22. Matters of Trust

A/N: This started out as nearly 130 words and it was agonizing cutting it down, and then suddenly it was 98 and I needed two more. Some days you can't win.

Matters of Trust

"I trust you."

Hiei wished he was less affected by that sentence. "The question is, are you saying that because you mean it or because you know it's what I need to hear?"

Kurama smiled, warmly. "That's not the question."

"Oh? Then what is?"

"It's a given that I understand what you need to hear. So the question then becomes whether I said it to manipulate you, or because I love you and would do a lot more than say something already true in order to make you feel that love?"

Hiei had to agree--that was, in fact, the question.


	23. Craving

_Craving  
__100 words _

Kurama--his anger for once truly ignited, killing without restraint, grace, or apology.

Hiei--watching him fixedly, a smile forming on his face. Watching like he'd spied the rarest and most beautiful of all wild creatures, and was wondering whether to capture it or let it remain free. Understanding something that no one else bothered to understand. Hiei's eyes, slowly starting to burn red and hot, with something that might best be called craving.

After--both calm again, facades in place. But Kurama had seen Hiei's face. And if anyone wondered why they remained friends through so many conflicts and difficulties--this was why.


	24. No Apologies

_A/N:This may need a brief explanation: I've always held to the idea that the Shadow Sword had some sort of negative affect on Hiei. It's not canon, but I prefer it as an excuse for his dramatic shift in characterization to Togashi being inconsistent :) _

Double Drabble: No Apologies

Kurama didn't know what to say. That much was obvious. He stood outside Hiei's jail cell; he put his hands against the bars; then he sat down, despite the lack of any chair. His mouth opened a few times, but no words came out--at first, he couldn't seem to find any, and then when he took in the breath to speak Hiei shook his head slightly.

There was so much to be said--the fox had undoubtedly gone over it in his mind, over and over, just as Hiei had. Kurama's face said he was uncertain he could regain Hiei's trust. Hiei thought through the whole fiasco--the horrible way he'd felt once he'd laid hands on the sword, the way he'd no doubt feel now if he'd succeeded in killing that human. The way Kurama had argued with him, hours and days of heated struggle, before giving up and suddenly turning cold; the way they had all walked out of it alive.

Kurama tried again to speak, and again Hiei shook his head quickly. He forced his own throat to work. "Thank you," he muttered.

Surprise--then a smile to melt your heart, and a quick nod. And the quarrel was ended.


	25. Boyfriend

_Boyfriend_

_300 words (a triple drabble? Tribble? I think it belongs here, at any rate)_

"You know, Hiei, there are times I think you're my boyfriend."

Hiei fell out of the windowsill.

Kurama, having predicted this, gave him not even a hint of a reaction. He was still sitting there at his desk, one knee tucked up to his chest and chin resting in his hand in contemplation, as Hiei picked himself up, dusted himself off, and said, "What on earth made you say that?"

"Well, it's just that you do a lot of boyfriendly things," Kurama mused, either unaware or uncaring that such a statement might be hazardous to his health.

"Do I."

"You sleep in my bed," Kurama pointed out. "You crawl through my window at night. You come to me when you need advice or healing--physical or otherwise. You tell me first when something good happens, too. And it isn't just you," Kurama continued moodily, oblivious to the strange look he was getting. "I do boyfriend things for you, too. I know all your favorite things, I get them for you without your asking me to. I tell you first whenever something happens to me. I leave the window open; I wait for you to come. And when we're together we never have to ask each other 'what do you want to do, where do you want to go,' because we already know. And--"

"Fox, hold on a minute," Hiei finally interrupted, when it seemed Kurama showed no signs of slowing down. "If we were boyfriends, wouldn't I be kissing you?"

"Well, yes, that is usually part of the deal."

"Okay then." And Hiei hopped down from the windowsill, crossed the room, and kissed him. "There."

"... See, now you've gone and destroyed my whole theory."

"I know." Hiei shrugged, a hint of a smirk on his lips. "You talk too much."


	26. Association

_Association_

_Double Drabble_

Hiei had long ago given up pointing out every detail of Kurama's many human failings and weaknesses. But he couldn't keep himself from commenting, when Kurama suddenly regained the ability to take Youko's body and just as suddenly stopped wanting that ability. "You want to remain alive, and in human world. Youko stands a better chance of staying alive than Shuichi. You're being stupid."

And Kurama would demur, say something about how he hadn't forsaken that form, he'd just rather not use it, and Hiei would know the fox wasn't answering straight. Until one day Kurama looked him in the eyes and answered, "It reminds me of Yusuke dying. Every time I take that form, I remember how I gained the power to do it. I dislike the association."

Hiei had to pause for a moment before he could continue his litany of how Kurama was wrong. "Sentimentality."

"Distraction," Kurama countered. "Potentially deadly."

"Then don't let it be."

Kurama shook his head. "It doesn't work that way."

Hiei didn't win that fight. And the next time he saw Kurama flicker into Youko's body, he glanced, just for a half a second, at Yusuke who was standing next to them--and shuddered.


	27. Expression

_A/N: I'm usually a stickler for defining "drabble" as 100 words; however, I don't have anywhere else to post this, which I simply couldn't alter to fit a word count. _

Expression

There was little time between fights; little energy to be spared on praise or concern. The humans wore their hearts on their sleeves; every move, every hit, merited a gasp or a cheer. Hiei watched to see who won, ready to say goodbye and move on in a heartbeat if he had to.

When Kurama limped down from the ring, leaving behind him most of his blood and a large flower that had once been Karasu, Hiei paid him little attention. He was busy focusing on the ruling, measuring the odds, and deciding that the next round would have to be his. But just before entering the ring he paused, placed a hand on Kurama's shoulder, and silently expressed his opinion of the fight: _I am proud to be your partner._

He was in the ring before Kurama's mental whisper _As am I_ reached him. He didn't look back to acknowledge it. The words themselves were all the expression--be it of congratulations or farewell--that either of them needed.


	28. Battle

Battle

They had been forced into the tournament--forced to compete where neither might have chosen to, forced by new and harsher rules to end each fight with a kill. The new king of demon world had the right to make the rules of this tournament, and he wished their numbers cut down. And now fate had put them in the ring together.

"Don't attack," Hiei said.

He walked forward. Kurama did nothing. Hiei walked toward him, one step past him, then fitted his back to Kurama's and faced the crowd, the other opponents, everyone who was not Kurama. "Okay. Now attack."


End file.
